OlbrachtovaOlbrachtovaOlbrachtova
The proposed scheme is inspired by the different urban scales already coexisting in central Prague: from the slow tempo of a local alley mixing housing and shops, to the more metropolitan quality of a grand boulevard filled with the dynamic of public life supported by large edifices.
At the New Gate of Olbrachtova, a web of shared space/pedestrian streets shapes a new configuration of triangular buildings that together form a unique and immediately recognisable urban neighbourhood. The web-like organisation opens up the edges of the plot and thus establishes spatial connections to all three sides, offering new and inviting shortcuts within the neighbourhood. This way, the urban plan allows the total building volume (ca 60,000 sqm) to be distributed in reasonably sized units adapted in scale to work with the heterogenic surroundings of the site: lower towards the small-scale housing along V Rovinách Street in the south-west and rising towards the north-eastern corner, where the office tower stands out as a new point of reference along Na Strži Street. The result is an ensemble of buildings that can be balanced to provide an exciting and enriching urban environment with its own strong identity—a new destination in the Prague metropolitan area. All this while keeping to the highest level of efficiency in terms of structure and plan layout, based on real long-term sustainable construction principles: compact footprints, efficient vertical cores, and solid, proven building systems.
At street level, the idea is to create a series of linked urban spaces that together offer a mediating filter between the diverse qualities of the neighbouring streets and sites. The choice of material and detailing of each building, as well as the programming at street level, will contribute to placemaking and a welcoming overall experience for inhabitants, office tenants, and temporary visitors. Arriving from the new station D Olbrachtova, there will be a clear first public interface along Na Strži Street, where the sidewalk is extended to form an exterior entrance plaza at the southern tip of the site. There will also be an underground connection linking the metro station directly to level -1, where commercial facilities are placed along a subterranean street with access through to the office tower and the basement/parking levels below the housing units. Further north, we envisage the main access to a new communication hub and underground parking space to be established below the office tower, with access via the alley opening up onto Na Strži Street. Additional and independent access ways to the parking can be integrated in the housing units, preferably along Květnových bojů Street. This way, an efficient common basement level can accommodate a mix of commercial and building services spaces, as well as parking, a mobility hub, storage, etc.
Throughout the whole new development, an open and inviting ground floor with shops, restaurants, and commercial spaces provides activity along the internal alleys as well as Na Strži Street. In addition to the greenery at street level, top-floor terraces and green roofs can be developed to offer the inhabitants of each building common exterior spaces for recreation and social activities.
Overall, we believe that the clear identity and radical functionality of this scheme have the potential to stand out as a new point of reference in Prague and a strong symbol for the neighbourhood. The straightforward triangular geometry contributes to a very specific architectural quality of each building as well as intriguing spatial moments that together form the urban character of the New Gate of Olbrachtova.
